T&T go down to NSW in Super Over

published by HolaKo on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 17:31

Chennai, India, CMC – Trinidad & Tobago once again sacrificed victory on the altar of defeat in another heart-breaking finish as they lost to New South Wales a one-over Super Over following a tie in the Champions League Twenty20 on Wednesday.

Ravi Rampaul conceeded up 16 from the final over in regulation match, as the New South Wales ninth-wicket pair of Moises Henriques and Patrick Cummins levelled the scores, replying to T&T’s 139 for six in the Group-A match at the Chidambaram Stadium.

In the Super Over Rampaul was entrusted with the ball and NSW made 18 without loss with Moises Henriques smashing Rampaul for four boundaries – including three on the leg-side – and a hard run two to make him a sure bet for the Man-of-the-Match award.

In reply, the T&T Red Force made a brave bid, but eventually fell short, as they managed 16 off left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe with West Indies opener Lendl Simmons being caught inside the long-off boundary trying to hit a six to win the match.

The defeat was the second straight for T&T close result, following their one-wicket loss off the last ball to Mumbai Indians on Monday. T&T face Cape Cobras of South Africa next Tuesday at the same venue in the third of their four group matches.

In regulation time, T&T seemed to have the match under their control, when they had NSW on the ropes on 123 for eight after the penultimate over, but Henriques and teenager Cummins collected all but one of the 17 required in the final over from Rampaul to force the match into overtime.

The Red Force were on their heels, when an early flurry of boundaries from Australia vice-captain Shane Watson and fellow national opener David Warner seemed to set up the Blues’ innings. Off-spinner Sunil Narine made the breakthrough, when he had Watson caught at long-on for 15 in the seventh over, leaving the Blues 48 for one.

With the ball keeping low, Sherwin Ganga, also bowling off-spin, changed the complexion of the match, when he bowled Warner for the NSW top score of 38 and wicketkeeper/batsman Daniel Smith for 11, as the Blues slid to 72 for three.

Ganga struck again, when Australia leg-spin all-rounder Steven Smith skied a catch to long-on, perishing for 11. Kevin Cooper tightened T&T’s grip, when Ben Rohrer chipped a delivery and was caught at mid-wicket for three in the 17th over, as the Blues slid deeper into trouble.

Rampaul had Blues captain Simon Katich caught at mid-on for 23, as NSW were left to get 37 in the last three overs. Narine had O’Keefe caught inside the deep mid-wicket boundary for three in the penultimate over, and Mitchell Starc was run out off the last ball of same over, leaving Rampaul to usher T&T over the finish line.

With the square leg in an orthodox position and fine leg on the edge of the circle, Rampaul and T&T watched helplessly, as Henriques flicked the first two balls to the long-leg boundary. Rampaul conceded a single to deep cover from the next delivery before Cummins slapped the fourth ball to long-off for two and swung the penultimate delivery over the head of the mid-on fielder into the vacant long-on boundary for four.

Rampaul managed to restrict Pat Cummins to a single to the mid-wicket fielder off the final ball of the match to force the match into the “Super Over”. Sherwin Ganga was the pick of the T&T bowlers with three wickets for 26 runs from his allotted four overs, and Narine snared two for 26 from his four overs.

Earlier, the T&T innings never quite had the momentum for a bigger total, and it was only towards the end that they managed to pick up some useful runs with 14 coming in the 19th over, bowled by Starc.

Simmons hit the top score of 41 and put on 41 for the first wicket with Barath in 6.3 overs before O’Keefe brought the Blues back into the match, conceding just 14 runs in his four overs, while breaking the opening partnership, when he bowled Adrian Barath for 15.

The remainder of the T&T batsmen were unable to collar the NSW bowling that at best was restrictive, but forced errors from the increasingly impatient willow-wielders leading to the regular fall of wickets. Lusty hitting in the closing stages from Rampaul and Cooper lent some respectability to the innings.